Between Love and Hate
by Ione-Sama
Summary: She'd been feeling things for weeks now—things she couldn't understand or explain and honestly, she didn't want to. Her first instinct was always, run and do whatever it takes to protect herself. But every time she was near him—and every time he looked at her like that, she started to doubt everything she thought was true and deep down, she knew—she couldn't outrun him forever.
1. Truce

**A/N: This is a series of random and interconnected one-shots that take place after S6Ep17 "Bird in a Gilded Cage." Cannon up until the end of Ep17—Bonnie does NOT leave Kai in 1903 prison world. This is my first Bonnie/Kai fanfiction so I may be a bit rusty and if the characters seem a bit OOC, bear with me!**

When she'd learned that Kai had been the one to send Jeremy back to save her, Bonnie didn't know how to feel.

She'd spent so much time hating Kai and plotting her revenge, she wasn't sure how deal with the feeling of sudden emptiness; all the anger and hatred felt so hallow, she didn't have the energy to hold onto it anymore.

As a result, she decided a civil truce with Kai would be the best course of action.

It was difficult at first; he was still as annoying and infuriatingly arrogant as always—but every now and then, she would catch a flash of emotion in his eyes or a guilt-ridden expression darkening his features whenever he looked at her.

It was odd.

Seeing Kai of all people expressing emotions and feelings; she didn't want to believe the numerous times he'd sworn to her he changed—she thought it was just another one of his manipulative tricks and she wasn't falling for it—not this time.

But then Damon started in on her as well, dropping casual hints every now and then about Kai's apparent "reformation" and pretty soon, she couldn't ignore the signs anymore.

That was the most frustrated she'd ever been—not to mention she was beyond infuriated and matters were only made worse when Kai showed up on her doorstep, apologizing—again and asking for her forgiveness—_again. _

"I—I can't deal with you right now." She'd uttered in one exhausted breath, then slammed the door in his face.

It wasn't long before her conscience started to prick her and she let out an exasperated sound somewhere between a growl and a moan as she collapsed face-first onto the couch.

She called Damon—not knowing what else to do and standing to her feet, she walked to the window and pulled back the curtain just slightly.

"Hello?"

Bonnie's mouth fell open and she squinted her eyes. "You have—got to be kidding me!"

"Bonnie?"

"He's—still out there?!"

Damon made a popping sound with his lips and raised his brows. "Okay uh, Bon you're really starting to freak me out with this whole middle-of-a-one-sided conversation thing."

"It's Kai; he's outside my house."

Damon paused, pursing his lips. "Okay—I admit a little creepy but no more than his typical conflicted sociopathic-with-feelings behavior."

Bonnie sighed, irritated. "No, he's _not _being sociopathic, that's just—it he came to apologize-again."

"And let me guess; you witchy wooed him—again."

Bonnie scowled. "Ha ha, but no. Truce, remember? It's just—I don't know I couldn't deal with it so I just—slammed the door in his face. Only problem is, he clearly didn't take the hint because he's _still _outside."

Damon's brow furrowed and he walked to the kitchen. "O—kay so what did you call me for?"

"Well what do I do?! I want him to leave!"

This time, it was Damon's turn to sigh in exasperation and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bonnie, we've talked about this a million times; Kai is guilt-ridden because of what happened in the prison world and he wants your forgiveness! But you don't want to give it to him—and before you rip my head off, I'm not blaming you—but you're gonna have to realize that the longer you don't forgive him, the longer he's gonna chase after you and you're not gonna be rid of him until he gets what he wants. So…."

Bonnie let out a defeated sigh, letting the curtain fall back into place and turning away from the window. "I don't get why the hell it's so important to him to get _my _forgiveness; I mean he's not chasing _you _all over Mystic Falls, pining for yours!"

Damon smirked at this. "That's because I'm not the one he left behind in 1994 after mercilessly torturing for—months _and _he doesn't have the hots for _me." _

Bonnie deadpanned. "What. Did you say?"

There was a deep chuckle on the other end of the line. "Oh com'on Bonnie, you can't tell me the thought hasn't entered your mind too; why else would he be so desperate? What other reason could he possibly have for following you around everywhere, not to mention those great big brown puppy dog eyes get all weepy and guilty whenever he looks at you."

Bonnie scoffed in disgust. "You're disgusting, Damon." She spat.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Don't believe me? Ask Elena; she sees it just as much as I do and so does Alaric—hell, even Jo admitted she sensed Kai has a strong feeling towards you and let's face it, Witchy, she is his twin sister so that automatically gives her mind-reading rights."

Bonnie massaged her temple. "I cannot believe I'm even listening to this—I'm hanging up now."

"Ugh, fine! But don't forget you're coming over later tonight."

"For what?"

"Uh dinner, remember? Today marks six months since you've been home and we're celebrating; no ifs ands or buts."

"Fine—I'll be there—I guess it's too much to hope that Kai _won't _be?"

"Sorry, Judgey; he kinda lives here after all-nnnnot to mention the celebratory dinner was kinda his idea."

This caught Bonnie completely off guard. "Wait. What?!"

But Damon wasn't about to play into her curiosity—he'd dropped that little bit on purpose and he was gonna let her simmer and stew over it until tonight.

"Aaaand that's Elena calling, gotta run! See you tonight, oh! And wear something nice!"

"Damon, wha-!"

The line went dead.

She pulled the phone away from her ear and glared at it. "Thank you for nothing, you useless bat!" She hissed.

# # # #

Elena stood in the kitchen, shoulder to shoulder with Damon, chopping up the veggies for the stir fry while Damon fileted the Salmon.

Just then, footsteps were heard coming from the out in the foyer and a second later, Kai appeared in the doorway—dressed in a sleek black suit, paired with a dark blue dress shirt—looking nervous as hell.

Elena's eyes widened in appreciation—and Damon just stared.

Kai's fingers pulled nervously at the collar of his shirt and a thin sheen of sweat dampened his brow.

"Dude. A _suit? _Seriously?" Damon groaned in annoyance.

"Too much?" Kai asked nervously.

Elena tilted her head appraisingly, her lips into a tiny smile. "No—"

"Uh, _yes, it is!" _Damon countered, receiving a death glare from Elena.

"It's too much. Damn it, I—I can't do this." Kai whirled around and started to leave, but Elena called after him.

"Kai its fine, come here." She glared when Damon opened his mouth to speak and her boyfriend promptly slammed it shut once more.

"Maybe lose the tie?" She offered gently, loosening the black tie from around Kai's neck and undoing a few buttons on the collar.

"There. That's better; you still look classy but more relaxed." She smiled encouragingly.

Damon rolled his eyes, turning to the stove.

Just then, there was a knock at the front door.

"That's Bonnie." She tossed a look at Damon over her shoulder, then turned back to Kai and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry; if Bonnie can forgive Damon and develop a friendship, she can do the same with you—it's just gonna take time."

With that, Elena went to answer the door, leaving a slightly shaking Kai and a less-than-amused Damon glaring at him distastefully.

"Dude. You have serious issues."

Kai let out a shaky laugh, wiping the back of his hand across his perspiring forehead.

"This is _so _weird, Bro."

"I'm _not _your bro."

"No but seriously; I've—never felt nervous before—all the—shaking, my heart pounding and the sweat pouring down my face—" He paused, rubbing his face with the sleeve of his jacket as he let out an ironic chuckle. "—it's so crazy!"

"Welcome to humanity, good for you but if you want to _not _look like an idiot in front of Bonnie, then for God's sake, pull yourself together. However, if idiocy is the impression you're going for than by all means….be my guest!"

A biting retort was on the tip of Kai's tongue but the appearance of both women in the room, caused the Gemini witch's mouth to slam shut—and then slacken almost simultaneously.

There Bonnie stood.

In a teal green form-fitting little number that hugged her curves and stopped just above her knees. The strapless design showcased her arms and shoulders and the diamond-shaped open back did wonders in showing of her gorgeously toned back.

She'd paired the dress with a pair of 3-inch black heels which accentuated the length of her legs and gave her figure a very poised and elegant appearance.

For the first time in his life, Kai's mouth went dry and he had no words.

"Whoo! Judgey you're lookin' sharp. Very nice!"

Bonnie offered a weary smile in return; she really had no desire to be here but Damon's genuine compliment made the heaviness in her chest a little easier to bear.

"Okay! Well dinner's almost ready, we're just waiting on the Salmon so um—Kai, could you put the wine glasses on the table please?"

Bonnie had momentarily forgotten about the other witch's presence but at the mention of his name, her back straightened and she turned in his direction.

She froze.

Her mouth went dry at the sight of him and for—the umpteenth time, Bonnie had no idea how to describe what she was feeling.

She'd been feeling things for weeks now—things she couldn't understand or explain and honestly, she didn't want to. Her first instinct was always, run and do whatever it takes to protect herself.

But every time she was near him—and every time he looked at her like _that, _she started to doubt _everything _she thought was true and deep down, she knew—she couldn't outrun him forever.


	2. Dinner with the Devil

_A/N: Here's Chapter 2! Hope you all like it—this one brings out more things about Kai's past that will hopefully clarify some things for our favorite Bennett witch! WARNING: the ending is intense and not in a good sense—the following chapter will also be very intense and violent so just a heads up!_

_RR, please!_

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"Hi."

Kai gulped. "Hi."

Bonnie had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

Kai was sweating and his hands were shaking like a leaf—he was clearly extremely nervous and most likely struggling to grasp the foreign emotion—it was oddly comical.

She hated to admit it but aside from the shaking and the sweating, Kai looked—_incredibly _handsome.

_Damn it. _

There went those odd, tumultuous feelings again; swirling around in the pit of her stomach and then skyrocketing to her chest where they instantly triggered a very warm, tingly sensation.

She couldn't deal with all this right now! She had to focus on dinner, try to look like she was thrilled to be celebrating _and _concentrate on being civil and _not _cordial towards Kai—which for some stupid reason, she was having trouble distinguishing between the two!

"Um, Kai?" Elena's voice broke through the haze and Bonnie's jade green eyes blinked a few times as she cleared her throat awkwardly.

At the sound of his name, Kai _finally _managed to pull himself out of that bizzare—whatever-the-hell-that-was-foggy haze and took the glasses from Elena.

Turning on his heel, he walked confidently to the dining room and set each glass at its prospective place.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Elena was giving Bonnie one of her classic scrutinizing stares and the Bennett witch squirmed uncomfortably.

"Okay Elena, stop drilling me with your eyes and just ask the question."

"You're acting different; is everything okay?"

Bonnie scoffed, eying her skeptically. "Really. That was the burning question you had in mind?"

"Okay fine." Sidling up to Bonnie, she bent her head low and whispered so that hopefully, neither Kai nor Damon would overhear. "You walk in here, you take one look at Kai and you're speechless."

"What?!" Bonnie hissed incredulously, tiptoeing to reach the top of the wine rack.

"Uh yeah. _And _you were gawking at him—like up-and-down gawking."

Bonnie shook her head, grunting and straining her arm to reach the bottle of wine.

Suddenly, a long, hard body lightly pressed up against her back as a hand reached above her, successfully grasping the bottle of wine.

She knew better than to assume it was Damon—Damon didn't smell like hot cinnamon spice and whiskey.

Her back instantly stiffened and she held her breath as the warm body shifted away from her, wine still in hand.

Turning, she came face-to-face—with Kai's chest. If she'd been fair-skinned, her cheeks would've doubtlessly gone up in flames—at any rate, they were already burning with embarrassment at his close proximity and she didn't dare meet his eyes until she'd taken a few seconds to compose herself.

"Sorry." His deep voice stirred her insides and she suppressed the urge to squirm.

"I just—noticed you were straining a bit so—thought I could help." He lightly tossed the wine bottle up, letting a modest smile curve his lips upwards before turning away, taking the wine to the table.

"Uh, thanks." Bonnie called somewhat uncertainly after him and when he tossed a lopsided grin over his shoulder at her, a shiver shot through her body and she turned her back, groaning in frustration.

"Okay. _That? _That, was not 'nothing.' That was definitely _something. _Bon, what's going on?"

Bonnie leaned heavily on the counter with her palms, brushed the back of her hand across her cheek and sighed heavily.

"I don't—I don't _know _Elena. I really don't! Honestly, if I had even a clue of what the hell was going on with me, I'd tell you believe me. I just—I can't."

Pouring a small shot glass of bourbon, Elena handed it to Bonnie then pulled up a stool and settled down next to her.

"Okay. I'm not trying to dig into your personal life Bonnie and who knows, I may not even know what the hell I'm talking about but—maybe—I don't know, the way you're acting right now? The way you've been acting whenever Kai's around—reminds me _a lot _of how I started acting around Damon when I—started to feel things."

She was expecting a venomous protest from her best friend but to her surprise, Bonnie just turned and looked at her with an expression of guilt and defeat.

She already knew.

"Look, Bon I could be totally wrong on this one but—I don't know I'm just telling you what it looks like from where I'm standing."

"Yeah—I know. I'm not upset, 'Lena I'm just—really _really _confused." She downed the shot of bourbon, wiped the corners of her mouth with her fingers, and then let out a half-hearted laugh.

"I just—I don't know how to put a name to what I'm feeling, you know?"

Elena nodded her head in understanding but then she gave a definitive shake of the head as she poured her own glass of bourbon.

"You can't. Trust me, I tried—_so many times _to figure out just what exactly it was that I felt for Damon and why; but I never had an answer! And the more time I spent with him, I just ended up all the more confused—not to mention guilty."

"Because you were with Stefan."

"Yeah! I mean—I was in love with Stefan and I knew that without a doubt but—"

"But you still couldn't get Damon out of your head."

Elena looked at her and the two young woman shared a kindred moment.

"It was—one of the hardest times in my life but—what helped is when I realized and acknowledged that I _did _feel something for Damon; when I stopped denying it and running from it. That's when I started to get clarity and even though I still wasn't sure what those feelings were, it really helped me to gain perspective."

Bonnie sighed heavily, combing a bit of hair out of her eyes. "Well—I guess that's why I needed you to talk to; I mean Caroline's not here and even if she was—she'd most likely flip her shit and then scream at me for being out of my mind."

"Aaaaand then she'd call me up and try to convince me that we needed to do an intervention." Both women laughed knowingly at the neurotic tendencies of their blond friend and experienced a tinge of sadness as Caroline's presence was greatly missed.

"Okay! Ladies, dinner's on the table so—shall we?" Damon clapped his hands together as he ushered the two women into the dining room.

Bonnie noted that Kai was already seated and after exchanging a private look with Elena, she squared her shoulders and moved to the seat next to him.

To her surprise, when Kai spotted her, he stood to his feet and pulled her chair back for her. His gentlemanly behavior baffled her but what was even more astounding is he made it look like the most natural action in the world for him.

She chanced a glance at Elena who was hiding a smile—and Damon who only stared raised brows and a blank expression.

"Thank you." She said softly when Kai pushed her chair and she was rewarded with a timid smile as he seated himself once again.

The rest of dinner went on smoothly with an easy flow of pleasant conversation and only two slightly awkward lapse of silence.

As much as Bonnie didn't want to admit it, celebrating tonight had been a good idea and she was enjoying herself quite thoroughly when dessert came around.

It was Angel Food cake with a sinfully thick chocolate fudge frosting and when Bonnie licked the decadent frosting from her fork, her eyes fluttered closed and she moaned in pleasure.

"Oh. My god. Elena, this is—sinful. No, this is criminally forbidden!"

Damon butted in between mouthfuls. "Actually—this decadent sin is Kai's creation so if anyone's getting arrested, it should be him."

Bonnie paused mid-chew and her eyes slid over to Kai who was presently staring at his plate—and blushing. Furiously.

She nearly choked in disbelief—whether because he'd made such a delicious dessert, or because he was blushing—she wasn't sure; maybe it was both.

"Well this is—amazing." She waited for him to meet her eyes, then offered him a small smile.

Kai shrugged modestly. "It's nothing really, just an old family recipe."

Damon cocked his eyebrow skeptically. "I honestly wouldn't have pictured Papa Gemini as the chef."

Kai let out a sarcastic scoff. "That's because 'daddy dearest' never set foot in the kitchen—the recipe would be my mother's."

The room feel silent; at the mention of Kai's mother, a look of regret passed through his dark eyes and his voice took on an edge of reverence mixed with despair.

Bonnie watched him intently and her heart twinged in sympathy.

"Well I think I ate a little too much of the Salmon filet—"Kai pushed back from the table and stood to his feet. "So I think I'm gonna walk this off." He let out a half-hearted chuckle as he excused himself—ignoring Bonnie's intense stare as it followed him out.

"He's—never mentioned his mother before." Bonnie's voice was quiet as she looked across the table at Damon and Elena.

"Maybe there's something extremely personal about his mom." Elena offered.

"There's always something personal about mothers—especially mothers and sons; take it from one who knows." Damon's eyes took on a far off look as he quietly sipped on his bourbon.

Bonnie stared at her lap, then bit the corner of her mouth and stood to her feet.

"B-Bonnie?"

Bonnie paused in doorway and turned towards Elena. "It's okay, Elena—I'm—just gonna go check on him."

With that, Bonnie headed for the front door—squaring her shoulders and hoping to God, she wasn't making a mistake.

# # # #

She found Kai with his back to the door, leaning against the railing and for a split second, she wondered how she hadn't noticed how broad his back was, until now.

"Hey."

Kai's head snapped around, clearly surprised to find Bonnie standing there.

When he said nothing, Bonnie bit her lower lip, trying to hold back a smile—she failed.

"You seemed a little tense in there…"

Kai's mouth widened into a charismatic smirk.

"_You _came to check on me—now that's ironic, Bon Bon, considering me heading for a walk, gives you an automatic out from having to play the "cordial dinner guest" for your friends." He made air quotations as he said this which elicited a snort from Bonnie as moved to stand beside him.

"Yeah well—I always keep my promises but—to be honest, I haven't been having a—_terrible _time."

His dark eyes snapped in her direction, alight with mirth and curiosity. "Really?" He half-whispered conspiratorially. "I'm—_fascinated." _

Bonnie rolled her eyes as he punctuated every syllable and shoved him with her shoulder before even thinking about it. "Don't read too much into it."

Her voice was laced with disdain but her lips curved upwards into a begrudging smile, causing Kai to snort bemusedly to himself.

"So. You heading for a walk or…?"

He pushed off from the railing, shoving his hands in his pockets as he let out a long breath.

"Yeah, why not."

"Care for some company?"

He stopped at the bottom stair, his body angled half-way towards her. "Are you sure about that? I mean it's getting kinda late—lots of woods around here I mean, aren't you afraid of me dragging you off somewhere?"

Bonnie deadpanned and she glared at him dryly.

"Too soon?" His expression was already dipping into a sheepish apologetic frown when she reached the stair next to him.

"Yeah. Yeah, maybe just—just a tad." She pinched her index finger and thumb together and tossed him a withering look before heading down the rest of the way.

Once they'd reached the sidewalk, they fell in step with each other, though neither one seemed confident enough to break the silence.

They went on for a ways like this until they were just about to reach the grass and Bonnie halted.

"Okay I—these need to—come off." She grunted as she effortlessly gripped Kai's shoulder with one hand to steady herself, then pulled off her heels one by one, flexing her toes as she did so.

"Oh my god—so much better." She breathed in relief as her hand slipped from his shoulder and she bent over to pick up her shoes with the other.

"Okay, please—please explain something to me; why in hell do you women wear shoes that are _clearly _unbelievably painful, if you're just gonna end up taking them off before the day is out, anyway? Correct me if I'm wrong but, there's no logic there."

Bonnie rolled her eyes but she couldn't fight down a small smirk.

"Do you have any idea how many guys have asked me that?"

"Mmmhm, so what do you tell them?"

"I tell them all the exact same thing I'm about to tell you—and I'm only gonna say this once, so pay attention."

Kai wanted to laugh at her sudden seriousness but he bit it back.

"Heels make a woman's legs look hot and sexy. But not only that, they make her _feel _hot and sexy and for a woman, that's kinda huge especially when we spend the other twenty hours of every day, criticizing ourselves and hating almost everything else about our massively imperfect bodies.

Not only that, but we notice how men look at a woman who's wearing heels; Hm? You've probably done it—her hips sway a bit more when she walks, that unmistakable 'click click' of the heel just demands attention wherever we go and for those of us—like me—who are on the shorter side, the heels give us a bit more height which also serves in making us feel a bit more powerful and good about ourselves—even if it's just for those few hours, it's worth it to us."

Kai's brows pinched together in confusion and he scratched his chin. "Okay. So let me get this straight. You wear painful shoes—because you look in the mirror every morning and you think you look hideous and the shoes—make you feel better…?"

At this, Bonnie guffawed and it took a few minutes for her to compose herself.

Kai couldn't resist admitting how much he loved her laugh—it made him feel crazy and warm which was an unfamiliar sensation—but definitely one he liked.

"Something like that—a little less drastic but yeah, you get the idea."

She looked over at Kai and was a bit surprised to find a deep scowl darkening his usually boyish features.

"O—kay that look? Not likin' the look, Kai."

He gave her a sidelong glance and the scowl softened but his lips were still pressed together in a hard line.

"I'm having a bit of an issue with your—reasoning behind heeled shoes."

"Okay…? Well it's not that big of a deal, Kai; it's a girl thing, I don't expect you to get it."

He shook his head slightly, fixing his eyes straight ahead as they continued walking. "Nah, I just—I don't see how someone like you could look in the mirror every morning and think you needed to fix it."

Bonnie's footsteps suddenly stopped and she stared at his back.

"Okay, what? What the hell are you talking about? I was just talking about heels and why we wear them, I—"

Kai's steps eventually halted as well and he turned around to face her. His expression was calm and a bit matter-of-fact as he spoke. "No, I get it; you find imperfections with yourself so you do whatever you can to avoid them. I just happen to find you incredibly beautiful so when you put you and 'imperfection' in the same sentence, it frankly sounds really ridiculous to me. That's all."

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and an honest smile curved the corners of his mouth upwards.

Bonnie gasped. Of all the things Malakai could have said to her, _that _was the last thing on earth she would have ever expected.

But Kai didn't seem to notice her shock and waved his hand dismissively. "But I digress, you were conveying the whole concept of the heels—which is what I asked and what I got so—still really confused, but I think I got the gist." His trademark boyish smirk returned as he faced forward and continued walking.

"You coming?" He called as he noticed the brunette still frozen in place, staring at him with an expression that was quite indecipherable.

"Uh—mm, yeah." She shook her head as if to clear it of muddled thoughts and jogged a little to catch up with him.

They resumed their evening stroll and after a long period of stifling silence, Bonnie decided to break the ice. "So um—you've never mentioned your mother before. I guess—I guess that I sort of assumed that your family wasn't really high on your list of interests…"

Kai's eyes grew wistful and Bonnie gulped in disbelief at the poignant emotion evident in his eyes—she was still adjusting to this whole Kai-with-feelings thing and she wasn't sure if it was getting easier.

"The truth?—I wasn't always like this, Bonnie. Well. Like I used to be, you know the whole sociopath thing." He let out a chuckle at this and Bonnie just shook her head; he found humor in the most morbid things—at least that hadn't changed.

"See, most people believe that you have to be born this way—but I wasn't. When I was seven, I came home one day from school and—I could hear my parents yelling at each other, right when I got off the bus. You know it's funny? You never really think about arguments meaning anything at that age because you know you—you fight with your siblings or Tommy baker next door, over something stupid and then in the next ten minutes, you're back to playing in the sand box or whatever, like—nothing happened." He was smiling but it didn't reach his eyes.

"So whenever I heard my parents arguing—I just assumed 'oh—mommy hid daddy's keys' or 'daddy broke mommy's favorite vase' but it was never a big deal—because I always assumed that they fought just like kids do."

His eyes had darkened considerably the hint of a smirk was still on his lips and the striking contrast unsettled Bonnie and she felt a chill in the air.

"So I walk in—and there they are!" He let out a maniacal laugh at this and Bonnie shivered, remembering how he always laughed like that, right before he did something insane.

"Both my parents, they're right there in the kitchen—and my dad—he had his hand wrapped around my mother's neck."

Bonnie let out a gasp and she froze.

Kai didn't meet her eyes but he must have sensed she'd stopped because his steps halted also.

"I mean he wasn't just holding her—you know? It's like I could see—I have this—crazy memory of his fingers—they were white, like ghost white and I knew he had to be holding her—_really tight." _

In that moment, his smile completely faded and in the next, his face paled and his eyes took on the most mournful of expressions as he relieved the worst day of his life.

"See the thing is—my mom did something wrong. She betrayed the coven somehow and—daddy dearest found out. And with him being the leader and all, well it was up to him to—make an _example _of her. And since I was half of the oldest Parker twins, he knew that there was a 50/50 chance that I'd be the next leader of the Gemini coven."

Bonnie's blood turned cold as she realized where this story was going.

Dear God. She never could've imagined it. She didn't even want to believe it now, even though the ugly horror was staring her right in the face and she was seconds away from being broad-sided—she still steeled herself against it—defiant and unwilling to believe that a parent could do something this horrible to their child.

"So he made me watch. I stood there—too shocked to even move, I guess—and watched him—choke the life out of her."

The air was deathly silent until at length, Kai let out a scoff, his eyes glistening yet harsh as he stared off into the distance.

"There's this old saying—I used to hate it, I thought it was the stupidest thing ever; I think it might be a text in the Bible actually-"By beholding, you become changed.'" Kai let out a humorless laugh. "So cliché, isn't it?" He met Bonnie's eyes for the first time and was completely shocked to find the witch's lip trembling and tears streaming down her face.

His throat constricted and for a moment, he couldn't breathe—he hadn't expected that the story would affect her that much, I mean the girl had most likely seen more death in her short eighteen years, than most people saw in a lifetime—if any of the snippets he'd heard from Damon, were any indication.

Not only that, they weren't exactly friends so it's not like she knew hardly anything about him on that level and she'd made it clear that her feeling towards him was merely tolerance—so why on earth was she crying?

"B-Bonnie?"

Hearing her name seemed to bring the witch a little out of it as her eyes blinked rapidly and clashed wildly with his own.

"I—I'm sorry I—I was just—I thought you were asking about my mother so I—"

"N-no, no it's f-fine!" She furiously brushed away the tears with the back of her hand, suddenly realizing that her makeup was most likely running.

"It's fine, r-really."

Kai felt his chest constrict painfully and the sudden ache to pull her into his arms, was overwhelming—and a little frightening.

"Look, Bonnie—" He took a step towards her but beyond that, he wasn't sure what to do next. If he tried to touch her, she'd probably kill him so that was definitely not the best idea—but—

"I'm s-s-sssorry."

"You're—_apologzing? _For what?!"

Bonnie let out a shaky laugh, sniffling. "I don't—I don't know; it's silly I guess—I just—I never expected—"

Her voice started to break again and Kai found it was more than he could bear.

"Hey, Bonnie…" Without thinking, his hand reached out and touched her shoulder.

Surprisingly, Bonnie only stiffened at the contact but relaxed in the next moment which gave Kai a bit more confidence that he'd made the right move.

"No really, I'm fine, honestly, Kai I'm—"

The way she said his name sent a shock of electricity through his body; it wasn't laced with malice, annoyance or even pressed through gritted teeth like before, as if it was painful to utter.

She'd spoken it so softly and gently—almost like a caress—it was the closest he'd ever felt to her forgiveness.

"Bonnie—look at me." He took her gently by the shoulders and turned her towards him.

She let out a sigh of defeat, stalling a few more seconds before she finally met his eyes—her face still tear-stained and streaked with smudges of mascara.

He almost smiled at how she'd most likely be horrified if she could see herself now—but he shook his head mentally, realizing that he'd always see her as beautiful, no matter how 'terrible' she might look.

"I didn't mean to upset you—I was just clarifying why I've never mentioned my mother but—clearly, I didn't anticipate that it would—upset you like this so I'm sorry for taking it too far." Sensing he might be pushing it with the physical contact, he slowly let his hands slip from her shoulders and made to take a step back.

However, Bonnie surprised them both when she suddenly reached out and took one of his hands in hers.

The gesture came out of nowhere and Kai had to physically fight the urge to flinch.

Heat and electricity shot up his arm and he briefly wondered if he was the only one affected by it as his eyes suddenly shot up from their joined hands to meet Bonnie's face.

"Don't—apologize anymore. Okay? Please I'm—I'm getting to the point where your—apologies are just piling up and—I don't know how to deal with them all just yet. But I especially don't want you apologizing for this—"

He could sense how much she was struggling to put her emotions into words and as if on reflex, his hand squeezed hers gently.

"I'm the one—who needs to apologize."

He couldn't believe his ears. "Whoa, Bon—"

She held up her free hand. "Don't. Let me finish, alright? –before I change my mind."

He hesitated but nodded nonetheless.

"I need to apologize—because I've made judgements about you—without taking a minute to think about where you might have come from—what your life must have been like. I'm not saying that it excuses everything that you've done—but—I _am _saying—that it changes how feel about the reasons _why."_

Kai didn't respond—all he could focus on at the moment was Bonnie's fingers entwined with his and the slight trembling in his hand every time her fingers tightened around his.

"So—I'm sorry."

Kai took a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking. "Listen, Bonnie—if—if apologizing is gonna make you feel better, then—I'll accept it. _BUT, _just so you know—that doesn't mean I agree with you being the one that needs to apologize and I'm still gonna keep saying sorry."

At this Bonnie sighed and looked away, but a tug on her hand caused her to meet Kai's eyes again.

She was taken aback by the deep emotion reflected there.

"And I'm not gonna stop…until you forgive me."

He moved closer to her as he spoke and Bonnie could feel the subtle heat radiating from his body and his warm breath ghosting across her cheek.

"W-well don't—hold your breath."

Kai's features darkened into a heated stare and when he heard Bonnie's sharp intake of breath, his mouth curved into a boyish smirk.

Hooking his finger under her chin, he tilted her face upwards and looked deeply into her eyes, his own sparkling with laughter.

"Oh com'on, Bonnie—admit it; you're starting to like me—just a little bit."

Bonnie's head felt light and dizzy. "I—you're being ridiculous."

His face was inches from hers now. "Am I?"

"Kai!"

The two were startled by the harsh voice and pulled apart, Kai's eyes flashing to the lone figure standing in the driveway.

"After all this time—the last place I ever expected to find you—was at the Salvatore mansion—with _her."_

Kai couldn't quite make out the face but somehow—he knew that voice; it was eerily familiar.

"Considering how you tortured her mercilessly for months on end, I was hoping they would've taken care of you by now—at the very least sent you back to where you belong."

Suddenly, Kai's eyes flashed in recognition and Bonnie noticed how his entire body stiffened and his jaw clenched.

"Well, considering _you _were the one who refused them when they came to you for help, I'm actually not surprised, since _I'm _the one who found the ascendant _and _got them to Bonnie, in spite of great bodily injury to myself in the process."

Bonnie watched Kai carefully.

Even though his expression was smoothed into his characteristic go-lucky smirk, she noticed the harsh coldness in his eyes and the tense edge to his voice as he spoke.

"You may have fooled them all into believing that you've changed—but I know better; I've raised you and I've seen what you've become. You're dangerous, Kai and I can't allow you to go free."

"Kai? Who is he?"

Kai's eyes never left the older man's face. "Joshua Parker. My father."

Bonnie's blood went cold and instinctively, she gripped Kai's arm.

"You—you're Bonnie Bennett. The one responsible for releasing my son?"

"Wow!" Kai let out a joyless laugh. "All my life, you told me I was nothing more than an abomination and now, all of a sudden—_after _you turn me into a sociopath, you call me your son. You are just—you astound me!"

His laugh turned maniacal and he shook his head in disbelief.

"You know—considering the fact that you're still pretty convinced I'm a sociopath—I really wonder what would possess you to come all this way—all by your lonesome." His expression morphed into a look of smug defiance.

Joshua's stoic expression changed into a semblance of a smile before sobering once again.

"And what exactly makes you think—that I came _alone?" _

In the next moment, dark cloaked figures emerged from the woods, forming a circle as they closed in on the threesome.

Kai's arrogant smirk had long since faded and instinctively, he put an arm in front of Bonnie, protectively pushing her behind his back.

"Kai—who are they."

Bonnie was a tough woman—Kai knew this first hand—and he could tell she was forcing herself to be calm.

He really admired her bravery—but still, the vice-like grip she had on his arm, said it all; she was terrified.

"Aren't you forgetting something? Luke merged with me in an attempt to save Jo—_he lost, I won, _which means—oh! Automatically makes _me _the new leader of the Gemini coven?" Kai gasped in mock surprise. "I'm so touched! Seriously, I wasn't expecting this, it's—wow, it's such an honor really, I'm flattered."

If it were at any other time, Bonnie would have rolled her eyes and scoffed in disgust at Kai's incessantly annoying arrogance.

But this was a seriously dangerous situation and now was not the time to get on Kai's bad side.

"We didn't come for _you." _And Joshua's eyes immediately shifted to Bonnie.

In that moment, all mock amusement and false composure faded from Kai's expression and his blue-grey eyes flashed with the beginnings of stormy rage.

He reached an arm behind his back, protectively gripping her shoulder as he pushed her further behind him—completely shielding her from Joshua's view.

"You so much as touch her—or even _breathe _on her—and I swear to God, I will forget the promise I made to Mom, the day she died."

Joshua's face visibly darkened at the mention of Kai's mother and his jaw clenched as he took a step towards them.

"You may be the leader, Kai—but _I _have a responsibility and that is to make sure that the other Gemini blasphemers _do not _make it out of that prison world; we put them there for a reason, they are dangerous and they will come after us—all of us. Bonnie is a Bennett witch and that means she is the only one with the power to cast the freeing spell—it's her blood that triggers the power of the ascendant and after you're untimely release, I cannot risk her making anymore reckless decisions—"

"I have no intention of ever going back to that place! In case you've forgotten, you created a literal _hell _to entrap your son for eternity and I'm pretty sure that the 1903 prison world is no coincidence; you could never get me to go back to that place and as for releasing a bunch of crazed vampire-witches, I'd rather die first!"

"Bonnie!" Kai hissed.

"I appreciate your sentiments—but regardless I cannot risk trusting that you'll keep your word; frankly, you're too powerful and far too great of a liability."

Kai fixed a vengeful glare on his father and the rest of the coven and in that moment, he knew—there was only one way that Bonnie was getting out of this alive.

"Bonnie, get inside."

Bonnie balked at his back and tugged on his arm, forcing him to look at her. "Are you _insane?! _There's at least thirty of them, you cannot be seriously considering taking them _all _on, by yourself!?"

"Bonnie, this is no time to fight me!" He gritted out; his stormy eyes met her frightened ones and he softened.

"Listen to me—this is the only way you have a chance of getting out of this; get inside, get Damon and—"

"But what about you?"

The worry filling her voice sent a warmth through his body and for a brief moment, he forgot that he was—most likely—about to die, and gave her a genuine smile.

"Don't worry about me, silly; I'm a sociopathic siphoning witch, remember? I've totally got this."

His mouth curved into that boyish arrogant smirk of his—but this time, it didn't reach his eyes at all and that terrified her more than anything.

The coven closed in on them, some of them raising their hands towards the sky and beginning to chant.

Bonnie's eyes darted from Kai's face, to the group of closing assassins and back.

Just then, a door slammed open and Damon appeared. "Bonnie!" He screamed.

Bonnie's eyes flashed to where he stood off in the distance at the base of the porch—his cerulean eyes were filled with terror.

"Bonnie. Go."

Kai's commanding voice brought her back and her eyes flashed to his face once again.

"Bonnie, Get. Inside. Now!" His voice came out louder and this time, he shook her firmly, his eyes darting to the throng of approaching witches.

Bonnie let out an angry gasp, mixed with a whimper of terror as she took one final look at the approaching murderers.

She nodded curtly but just before turning away, she gripped Kai's hand, cupped his cheek and looked straight into his eyes. "You put them down—and then you come back."

The fear for him in her eyes would have made his heart soar, if it weren't for the fact that he would very likely never see her again. But regardless, he nodded, not having the heart to tell her the truth.

Bonnie nodded back and in the next second, her hand slipped from his face and she took off across the lawn as fast as she could.

The witches let out a unified cry as they joined hands and with Joshua Parker leading the way, they set upon Kai with a vengeance.

_Aaaaaaand it's a cliff hanger! Sorry guys but I just couldn't resist! It also guarantees that I'll keep you all coming back for more!_

_Xxooxo!_


	3. Save Me

_Flashback…_

_Two days passed—and Kai still hadn't returned. _

_By the time evening came on the third day, Bonnie was determined to go after him but Damon was against it. She tried to reason with him—then argued with him—then full out screamed at him._

_But Damon had no intentions of relenting and when Bonnie made it clear she would be going after Kai, with or without his help, he locked in the cellar, ignoring her screams of anger and saying it was for her own good._

_She would thank him one day, he was certain of it._

_ As for Elena, she didn't necessarily like the idea of Bonnie going after Kai, alone but she definitely didn't agree with Damon's methods either._

_ "You can't just keep her here against her will! What is the matter with you, Damon?!"_

"_Seriously, what would you have me do, Elena? Would you rather we just let your best friend go off and martyr herself—again?"_

_ "Kai is out there somewhere, facing off against his own coven—by himself. Bonnie knows he's only doing it to protect her and she feels responsible!"_

"_Well I don't care! We just got her back, I'm not about to let her go off and kill herself again—least of all for someone like him." _

_ Hours later, Elena still couldn't shake the nagging feeling of guilt and after making certain that Damon was out for the rest of the night (aka snapping his neck), she hurried to the cellar. _

"_Elena?" Bonnie pressed her face against the little opening in the door as Elena hurriedly unlocked the door._

_ "Look, I'm not any more thrilled about you going out there on your own—but I'm not about to stand by and let you be locked up in here either; you wanna go after him and I'm not gonna stop you. If it was Damon out there—I know I'd want to be there—and I'd hope there would be someone around to understand that."_

_With one final meaningful look and a crushing hug, Bonnie took off up the stairs and made a mad dash out the door. _

_By the time Damon had come to, Bonnie was long gone and he knew without a doubt, Elena was the culprit._

"_How stupid can you be?!" He'd yelled at her furiously. _

_ "Damon, if it was me out there, you know you would've done the same—just like I would do the same for you! Bonnie's out there because she wants to be—because she needs to be—you can be mad at me but just please don't try and stop her from saving possibly the one person she's ever really cared about." _

_At this, Damon couldn't argue and slammed his mouth shut. He wasn't so sure how he felt about the possibility of Bonnie having a thing for Kai—the Kai was technically a sociopath and had tortured her horrendously for months!_

_But then, he thought back to all the times before him and Elena—the times when he'd threatened her family, practically killed Jeremy and even Bonnie and Caroline had suffered at his hands._

_Thinking back on all of it, he realized—Kai and Bonnie weren't that different. _

_Yeah, it was screwed up, twisted and—wrong on so many levels but—maybe that's exactly what they needed._

_End Flashback…_

To make a long story short, Bonnie succeeded in finding and rescuing Kai; from the split seconds she'd allowed herself to observe, it was clear that his coven had no intentions of killing him—they merely wanted to disable them and she'd could only guess it was to make it that much easier to get to her.

Boy, were they in for a big surprise; she was much more powerful than they gave her credit for and it was clear, once she reached the battle ground, shielded Kai and locked the rest of the witches in a binding prison spell, they realized how grossly the underestimated her.

She wasted no time in grabbing Kai and making a run for it. Then, out of nowhere, Damon appeared with none other than Enzo at his side and made a hasty 'we got your back, Bon—go!' before disappearing in a blur.

It felt like hours but they finally reached the Salvatore mansion and thankfully, Elena had called Jo ahead of time and both were waiting just as Bonnie burst through the door.

Kai however—was furious.

"Just what—in God's name were you thinking, Bonnie?!" He was completely drained from the fight and there was a deep gash in his side, along with several other cuts and bruises on his face and arms. His voice came out in a sandpapery gasp as he raved at her but Bonnie ignored it just as Jo came up and took his other arm, slinging it over her shoulder.

"It's okay Bonnie; we've got him." She assured the brunette who was shaking from head to toe.

Bonnie nodded mutely and watched as Jo and Elena half-carried Kai up the stairs to his room.

The faraway sound of the front door opening and Damon's voice, reached her ears just before she blackness closed in and she collapsed.

# # # #

When she awoke, she was on the couch, covered in blankets and Jo, Damon and Elena were standing over her.

"Damn it, Bonnie." Damon gritted out.

"Jo, is she okay?"

"Yes, she'll be fine; she's just exhausted—I don't know what happened out there but Bonnie exerted a huge amount of her magic all at once—most likely she cast a very large spell and when a witch does that, it drains them a lot quicker than when they use short bursts of power over a longer period of time."

Her friends sighed in relief but Bonnie still detected the traces of worry mixed with anger in Damon's cerulean eyes.

"Thanks Jo—um can I just have a minute?"

Jo looked over her shoulder at Damon and Elena and then back at Bonnie. "Sure thing, Bonnie. I have another more ornery patient to check on anyway."

Bonnie's throat tightened and her hands curled into tiny fists. "How—how is he?" She asked through tight lips—it was clear she was trying her hardest to hold back any emotions.

Jo looked down at her and though the brunette averted her eyes, a small sympathetic smile touched Jo's lips. "He's as arrogant and hard-headed as ever—maybe even worse. He'll be fine."

Bonnie let out a tiny giggle before she could stop it—that was the best news she'd heard all day.

After Jo left, Elena took the seat she'd occupied previously and took one of Bonnie's hands in hers.

"What happened out there, Bonnie?"

"It's not—it wasn't bad, Elena—I mean for me; I was able to handle it more than okay. I mean I did have to cast a locking spell which took up a lot of my magic but—that was the only way I could disable them all at once and get to Kai."

"So—they didn't get to him."

Bonnie shook her head. "They weren't trying to kill him, Elena; I saw them—all they wanted to do was disable him; it's me they're after."

"What?! Why?"

Bonnie bit her lip. "Because I'm the reason why Kai escaped the prison world. And they think I'll release the other coven witches who are imprisoned in 1903."

Damon scoffed. "We've already gone over this, _no one's _going back to that hellish place and _no one _is releasing those freaks—they'er staying where they are."

"I know, Damon but Joshua doesn't trust me; he thinks that if I could be so foolish as to let Kai get loose, there's no guarantee that I wouldn't make the same mistake—I'm too great a risk for them."

"What are we gonna do?" Elena looked frantically to Damon for an answer.

"We're not gonna let them have her. Simple as that."

"Damon…"

"I mean it, Bonnie; I may have been stupid enough to let my guard down and let you go off to rescue Kai, this time but I'm not gonna let it happen again—and something tells me Kai won't either."

Damon's jaw was set firm and his eyes flashed in anger and determination.

"We'll do whatever we have to, to fight back. We're gonna keep you safe."

"Well count me in, Mate; I've never been one to run out on a fight." Enzo drawled, coming up to stand by Damon as he winked at Bonnie who only rolled her eyes in response.

"Good. Because with Stefan and Caroline minus their humanity, they have no interest except causing havoc so they're not gonna be of any help. I'm gonna need you on this one."

Enzo smirked and nodded his agreement.

"Wonderful—I feel _so much safer." _Bonnie groaned sarcastically.

Just then, Jo re-entered and drew everyone's attention.

Damon popped his lips. "So. How's our sociopathic friend faring? Any homicidal tendencies shining through yet?"

"Damon!" Elena hissed.

Jo rolled her eyes. "He's fine, aside from being in a lot of pain right now."

"Wow, that's good I'm so relieved." Elena sighed genuinely.

Bonnie just stared at her hands.

"Yeah, he needs rest but he's um—he's asking for you, Bonnie."

Bonnie's head snapped up and all eyes turned to her.

She nodded wordlessly, standing to her feet.

Elena gave her an encouraging smile as she passed her and followed Jo out of the room.

When they'd reached the door, Jo paused and turned towards her.

"I'm going to be honest with you, I advised against visitors right now—he's in a lot of pain and needs rest—but the idiot kept refusing the IV until I agreed to let him see you. Just—try not to stay too long."

"He's bad then—isn't he." It wasn't a question.

Jo looked towards the door and then met Bonnie's eyes again. "They wouldn't have killed him, Bonnie—if Kai dies, we all do. But they were hell bent on causing him as much pain as possible because they needed him out of the way—in order to get to you. He's gonna be fine but—he lost a lot of blood and he never got a chance to siphon any of their power so he's very week because his own power was drained considerably, trying to fight them off."

Bonnie shook her head, anger seeping into her eyes. "I can't believe he was so—stupid. He could've gotten all of you killed!"

Jo examined Bonnie's expression closely. "—not to mention himself."

Bonnie bit her lip, feeling the odd sting of tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Listen Bonnie, it's okay to care—I know you're struggling right now because of the history you and Kai have but—it's okay."

"I should get in there." Bonnie turned away from Jo without another word and the older woman took that as her cue that Bonnie had no desire to discuss her and Kai.

"I'll be in the drawing room if you need something."

Bonnie nodded and watched Jo disappear down the hall.

Once alone, she put her back to the door and took several deep breaths. She could already feel her hands trembling and her throat felt tight with the emotion she was trying so hard to keep bottled up.

"I can do this." She whispered to herself.

Turning around, she gripped the handle hard, whispered a prayer, and pushed the door open.


	4. I'll Never Stop

The lights were dimmed, giving the room a very melancholic atmosphere, causing Bonnie to shiver.

She waited for her eyes to adjust before taking a moment to collect herself as she looked around the room.

She found the large four poster bed angled in one corner and there, propped up on several pillows, was Kai. His eyes were closed but she could tell by the heaviness in his breathing that he wasn't asleep—the pain was most likely keeping him awake more than anything else.

Her eyes scanned his face carefully. There were several little cuts and bruises decorating his left cheek and even a slightly more severe cut, just above his right eyebrow. But considering what he'd been through, these injuries weren't the worst of it.

Her eyes traveled from his face down to his left shoulder and down the full length of his arm which was held in a sling.

Lastly, her eyes settled on his left side where wide strips of gauze had been tightly wrapped around his ribs and taped securely into place.

She could see where the gash had been as the blood had already mildly stained the bandages and vaguely showed through.

There was an IV bag hung above his head and she could vaguely pick up the drip-drip sounds as the liquid fed into the line that was tapped to his wrist.

She cringed when she thought of the large needle that pierced his skin—god, she hated needles.

"Bonnie."

She was ripped from her thoughts and found Kai's blue-grey eyes watching her from across the room.

He looked so weak—to tired. Her stomach lurched.

"Hey." His voice came out so raspy and strained—god, he sounded _awful. _

"You sound terrible." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could think but before she had time to regret it, Kai was snorting and boyish smirk at last graced his features.

"Wow, you're bedside manner is enchanting."

She said nothing as she stared at him.

He let his eyes linger over every inch of her face. She was a bit wind-blown and disheveled and her dress—which she hadn't had a chance to change out of—was wrinkled and dirty—but she'd never looked more beautiful to him and he couldn't help but smile when his eyes reached hers again.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She bit out. She hadn't meant to sound annoyed but the intensity in the room was stifling and she felt trapped.

Kai's smile faded instantly and his eyes hardened with a glare. "What the hell were you thinking, Bonnie."

"Seriously?! You're asking _me what I was thinking?!"_

"I told you. To get. Inside. And I'm pretty sure you knew I meant 'stay there'."

Bonnie couldn't believe her ears. "_You _were gone for three fucking days, Kai! I told you to put them down—you—you were _never _gonna come back, were you?!"

Kai only looked at her. "I was protecting you, Bonnie—it was the only way—"

Bonnie was at his side in a flash and smacking him hard across the face.

"Don't. You. Dare."

Kai was in shock but he managed to compose himself and he fixed her with a determined look. "It doesn't matter—I was doing whatever it took to protect you and _that's _what was important. _You _were the idiot, you should never have come after me like that—that was the stupidest thing you could've ever done! Why the hell didn't Damon stop you?!"

"God, I'm not doing this with you, Kai." She put up her hands in defense and turned away, shaking her head.

"Don't even." He snapped.

Bonnie whipped around and her eyes narrowed as she sized him up. "_Excuse me?" _

Kai met her with a staunch glare of his own. "Don't even think—about walking away from me."

"What are you, my father?!" She spat back—she hated being told what to do; she'd spent a good part of her life letting everyone else control her. Well no more; she was tired of it—it was time she started living for herself and not giving a shit about what anyone else thought.

"No! But I thought I was your friend and last time I checked, friends watched each other's backs!"

"Oh please—you're just ego bruised because I came out there and saved your ass."

Normally, Kai would have found her sassiness quite the turn on but right now, it just royally pissed him off.

"Stop making this about me, this isn't about me and you know it, Bon." He warned.

Bonnie's eyes flashed and she faced him with her fists clenched at her sides. "What the hell do you want from me?! I don't—I don't understand why you give a shit, why you care so much about what I do or why it matters so much to you that I don't listen to you!"

"Because you could've been killed, Bonnie!" He shouted—ignoring the sharp pain that shot through his side at the effort.

"So?! You tried to kill me so many times back in 1994, why should 'now' be any different?!"

At this, anger and rage burned in Kai's chest and his face twisted into a snarl. "_Because I didn't care about you 1994!" _

Bonnie reared back and just stood there, gaping at him with an indecipherable expression.

Just then, Kai's face pulled into a grimace and he grabbed his side.

"Damn it, Bonnie—" He leaned back heavily against the pillows, hissing through the pain and he suddenly wished he'd let Jo give him the heavier dose of pain meds.

At the sight of him in pain, Bonnie's anger dissipated and she hurried to his side. "Kai. I'll get Jo." She started to head for the door but his hand shot out and grabbed hers.

"No. Don't, she'll just give me a heavier dose and then I'll pass out."

"Maybe that's what you need."

He shook his head adamantly, leaning back on the pillows and closing his eyes. "No. You'll just leave then and I'm not letting you off that easy."

Bonnie sighed and shook her head.

"You're an idiot. Your stubbornness is gonna get you killed one day."

Kai noticed how her voice trembled at the end and his eyes fluttered open as he turned his head to look at her.

"You mean 'my stubbornness is gonna get Jo and everyone else killed."

Bonnie hesitated. She could easily lie to him and he'd more than likely believe her—but after nearly losing him today, she wasn't so sure she could handle the burden of lying anymore—to him or herself.

Her fingers wrapped around his but she avoided his eyes. "No. I mean—_your _stubbornness is gonna get _you _killed one day."

Kai opened his mouth to speak but another stab of pain shot through him and he winced.

His fingers tightened around Bonnie's and when she saw his strained expression, she shook her head. "This is ridiculous."

Stepping closer to the bed, she instructed him to lay back and when he looked at her questioningly, she just rolled her eyes and said, "Just do it."

He laid back, watching her curiously as she hovered her hands just over his wound and chanted something under her breath.

_"Ut sana et restituet." _

Kai felt a slight burning sensation and he winced slightly—then the burning was soothed by a cool, tingling sensation the spread over his side before it too, faded.

"Bonnie, what—what did you—" He carefully pulled back the bandages just enough to see the gash in his side was completely healed, leaving only a thin slightly-pinkish scar in it's place.

Bonnie had healed him and he had no idea why.

It shocked and surprised him beyond words and he could only stare at her in disbelief.

"Don't read too much into it." Bonnie covered. "I just—you were obviously in pain but for some idiotic reason, you wouldn't let Jo give you a stronger dose. It was pointless for you to just lay here in agony when I could just as easily heal you, so. There. No more pain so stop looking so pathetic—it's not a good look on you."

She was clearly trying to brush off the whole thing like it was no big deal—but Kai knew better. For her to even consider healing him, was a huge step but for her to actually _go through _with it, no questions asked? That was the last thing he'd ever expected and he knew—it _had _to mean something.

"I knew you liked me a little bit." He smirked, winking at her.

Bonnie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Oh please—only in your dreams."

Kai's eyes darkened seductively. "Oh most definitely." He purred."

Bonnie's stomach flipped at the heated look in his eyes.

Okay—this had quickly gone from harmless banter—to dangerously uncharted territory and she had to think fast before she got herself into something she couldn't get out of.

"O—kay you need rest so—I'm gonna go."

"Or you could stay for a bit longer." He suggested, not letting go of her hand.

Bonnie's eyes snapped to where his hand now held hers tightly and she could feel her cheeks heating up. "Kai—you need to sleep."

"You fixed me all up, Bon; I'm fine." He was sitting up now and Bonnie started to panic.

"Okay look, you may be 'healed' but that doesn't mean that you don't need rest; your wound is still sensitive; despite how it looks, you could still worsen it again if you—"

Kai was on his feet now and towering above her, her hand still held securely in his.

Bonnie gulped and she knew, she wasn't concealing her discomfort very well at all—that was obvious when a cocky, boyish smirk lip up Kai's eyes.

"'If I' what?"

"Kai, stop it."

He was slowly backing her into a wall and she had no idea.

"I'm not doing anything, Bonnie."

His hot breath made her dizzy and she turned her face away.

"You need to sit down." She worked her voice into an authoritative tone as she looked up into his eyes again. "Jo's gonna kill me if she finds you up on your feet."

"Well big sis isn't _here." _

His hand slowly slipped up her arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake as it came to rest against the side of her neck.

Bonnie felt her back hit the wall—realizing too late that he'd purposely been distracting her.

"Kai, don't—don't touch me."

She turned her face away but she couldn't escape his hand on her—he had her blocked in from all sides.

"Why—do you hate it?" He asked in a curious tone, his eyes never once leaving hers.

Bonnie chanced a look into his eyes again—he wasn't playing a game—it was clear from the look in his eyes, he was serious and it terrified her.

"I mean it, Kai—if you even—!"

His hand slipped up and cupped her cheek, his thumb lightly caressing her cheekbone.

"Your eyes—are so—"

Bonnie raised a hand as if she meant to strike him but he grabbed her wrist.

"Malakai, I'm warning you—don't you dare—"

Kai's eyes flashed with something undefinable as he held fast to both of her hands and leaned in closer.

"Kill me if you want, Bonnie—but I'm not gonna stop. Not _ever." _

Bonnie shook her head furiously, her fight or flight reflex suddenly kicking in. "No, no, no—no I won't let you do this—s-stop, let go! Let me go!"

Ignoring her venomous protests, Kai gripped her by the shoulders and dragged her against him just as he dipped his head and touched her lips with his.

Bonnie fought against him as hard as she could but she felt weak and useless—Kai was at least a foot taller than her and all strength, hard muscle and rough stubble that scratched against her soft cheek as he kissed her harder.

Bonnie grunted and groaned in protest, pushing hard against him—but her legs were shaking and her chest felt like it was on fire.

She shouldn't be feeling like this—not with Kai.

Kai was the one who shot her with an arrow.

Kai was the one who kidnapped her, threw her in a trunk and then stabbed and tortured her! Everything surrounding him and her was so dark and twisted, it practically screamed_ 'run!'_

It was earth-shattering and terrifying—she knew in her head, it was wrong—so very wrong.

But it _felt_ _so very right, _thatshe couldn't escape it no matter how hard she tried.

Kai pulled back just enough to breathe her name. "Bonnie…" it fell from his lips like a desperate caress before he dove in, capturing her lips again.

The kiss was hungrier this time around—more fervent and desperate than before and it left Bonnie exhilarated and half scared out of her fucking mind.

She had to stop this—wherever it was going, the excitement and thrill were well overshadowed by the fear and confusion and she just didn't have it in her to process it all.

Not now…maybe, not ever.

So, when Kai's hold on her loosened ever so slightly, she took the window of opportunity and shoved her way out of his arms.

She instantly felt cold at the loss of his warmth but she _had _think rationally and swept up in Kai's wildly passionate embrace, was _not _a place where she could do that.

She moved to the other side of the room and decided that the little end table and lounge chair situated near the fireplace, was the perfect barrier to put between them.

"I told you. To stop it." She put as much firm resolve into her voice as she could so that he would hopefully get the message but the mischievous twinkle in his eyes told her that was probably wishful thinking.

"I know. And _I _told you, I wasn't going to. You were gonna have to—make me."

He was breathing heavily from the intensity of the kiss and she had to groan inwardly at how sexy he looked with his hair all tousled and lips slightly red and swollen.

Damn him!

"This isn't a game, Kai." Her resolve was cracking at the seams but she kept up a brave façade, her stubbornness setting in.

"I'm not playing a _game, _Bon—and I think you know that; you're just too stubborn to admit it." He took a few long strides towards her but stopped just before reaching the end table; he wasn't giving up but he knew better than to push his limits with her.

"I'm not—I'm not doing this." She reached the door just before he was behind her with his hands resting on her shoulders.

"You _know _this is real, Bonnie—but you won't admit to it because there's still a huge part of you that's—determined to hate me."

Bonnie flinched at the word but she refused to face him.

"Nothing's changed, Kai—just because we made a truce, it doesn't mean—anything."

His hand squeezed her shoulders, causing a wonderful shiver to run down her spine and she barely bit back a moan.

His lips just barely grazed the shell of her ear as he whispered. "I know—I know. But I'm gonna keep trying, no matter how much you hate me—no matter what you do to make me suffer—I _never _give up."

Bonnie's breath caught in her throat as she fought against the urge to lean back into his warmth; the man was so intoxicating and alluring, it was vastly becoming the most frustrating thing about him.

But in spite of crumbling on the inside, Bonnie stood her ground and gathered every last shred of resolve.

"Good night, Kai—don't ever touch me again." Her voice nearly broke at the end as she came to the painful realization that going without his fiery touch would be absolute torture from now on.

She walked out without another word and pulled the door shut firmly behind her.

Resting her back against it, Bonnie slid to the floor with her knees curled to her chest and for the first time in 3 days, she finally let the tears fall.

Little did she know that on the other side of the door, Kai sat in mirror position on the floor, arms propped up on his knees as he listened to her quiet sobs. His head fell back against the door and as he closed his eyes, he silently cursed the first day he'd ever made her cry.

A/N:

"Ut sana et restituet." Means: To heal and restore

Also, I know there was a lot of angst in this one and that Bonnie was still extremely resistant even when Kai kissed her, but that is honestly how I feel it would go; She's dealing with a lot of negative baggage from Kai so him all of a sudden taking an interest in her and trying to sweep her off her feet, I think she'd be really overwhelmed by it and more than a little confused! Also, we know how feisty and combative our little Bonnie is and I really don't want her to lose that quite yet when it comes to Kai; there's still gonna be a lot of resistence on her part and quite a bit of back-and-forth between the two so please bear with me! But don't worry! Kai's gonna get plenty of passionate moments in, as well as quite a few 'stolen' kisses so trust me, I'm not gonna make him suffer too much or leave him completely high and dry, hehehe! He's just gonna have to work extra hard when it comes to Bonnie and honestly? When has our favorite charismatic sociopath ever backed down from a challenge? ;)


	5. Caesar Salad

"So it's been two weeks."

Bonnie stilled her movements of shuffling through the racks and looked at Elena. "And?"

Elena stared at her dryly. "Really Bonnie? It's been two weeks and you haven't been by the mansion for longer than ten minutes."

Bonnie's hand returned to shuffling—she needed a leather jacket and preferably one that was a rich chocolate tone—not black.

"Look, I miss you. Damon misses you. Not to mention—"

Bonnie cringed and let out a groan. "Elena, we agreed; _no mentioning of the 'K' _word."

Elena cracked a smirk; Clearly Kai was already on Bonnie's mind.

"What I was _going _to say is not to mention that the entire Gemini Coven is still out there; I'd feel a lot better if you stayed at the Salvatore mansion where we could protect you."

Bonnie scoffed. "You mean _he _would feel better if I was staying there."

Elena stopped and stared straight at Bonnie. "No. that's _not _what I meant. I thought you said you didn't want to talk about _him. _But every five minutes, it seems like you're finding a way to bring him up—so maybe you need to stop jumping down _my throat _and just admit what's really going on."

Bonnie turned around with her mouth agape and her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

Elena couldn't take it anymore and gave a huge roll of her eyes. "Oh come off it already, Bonnie! You miss him but you hate that you do so you don't want to admit it. Instead, you're resorting to being snippy and short with everyone and frankly, that's not fair to the rest of us. I understand why you're doing it because I was the same way."

The last thing Bonnie wanted was a lecture but deep down, she knew Elena was right.

But still, she refused to admit it.

"Look, I get what you're trying to do Elena but really, this isn't something that you can help with. I'm doing what I need to do for me."

Elena groaned. "Oh my god—you are _so preaching to the choir. _Okay fine. Don't stay at the mansion if you don't want to but at least come by more often! At least so we know that you're doing okay."

Bonnie sighed heavily. "If it makes you feel any better, I did find a place to stay."

"Really? Where at?!"

"Tyler's."

Elena crinkled her nose. "Really? I didn't think you and Tyler were that close."

"We're not but he's going through shit with Liv and doesn't want to see her—aaand since I'm a witch, I'm able to make it so she can't just walk into his house whenever she wants—and he was cool with me staying when he heard about my little—predicament with Liv's dad…"

Elena recovered quickly. "Well I mean that's good, as long as you have somewhere safer to stay and he's cool with it."

Bonnie hummed in affirmation as she pulled another leather jacket off the hanger and held it up to herself.

"The brown is definitely a good look for you, Bon."

"Don't you think? I like it too."

"Well it's a little late for lunch now but—how about we swing by The Grill for an early evening bite?"

"Sounds good to me!" Bonnie chirped and the two women headed to the register to pay for their merchandise.

Once they'd exited the store, the two friends linked arms and strolled jovially down the sidewalk, heading in the direction of The Grill. They chatted about nonsensical petty things and also about College and future plans.

Elena asked Bonnie if she planned on returning to Whitmore for her sophomore year but Bonnie wasn't sure since she'd been forced to leave in the middle of freshman year.

"Most likely, I'd have to repeat freshman year—if I did go back."

Elena nodded pensively. "Well that's not so bad; who knows it might give you a better chance at deciding on what you want to do—you know?"

"Yeah. Maybe."

They reached the diner just then and walked in, already discussing the menu and what to order.

They were half-way to the bar before Bonnie's steps froze and her eyes fixed on the lone figure seated on one of the bar stools.

She knew that broad back anywhere.

"Bon?"

"That's—Kai. He's at the bar."

"Oh." Elena's eyes followed to where Bonnie's rested and she bit her lower lip awkwardly. "Well—we can just sit in one of the booths in the far corner—he won't notice us."

"He can sense magic, 'Lena—he probably already knows we're here."

"Well he hasn't approached us yet so if that's true then maybe he already knows how you feel and is respecting your space."

Bonnie didn't respond and continued staring at Kai's back in trepidation.

"Okay." Elena grabbed Bonnie's elbow and dragged her back to one of the corner booths before pulling her down beside her. "What happened between you two?"

Bonnie let out a shaky breath and wouldn't meet her eyes. "Nothing."

"Bull, Bonnie _that _is not _nothing!" _

"Fine. He kissed me, Okay?"

Elena was in shock and for about ten seconds, she didn't speak and her mouth fell open.

"Oh. My god!" She gasped as excitement lit up her eyes. "Oh my god, Bonnie!"

Bonnie grabbed her hand, shushing her. "Don't draw attention, 'Lena!" She hissed but she could barely hold back a reluctant smile at her friend's obvious joy over the news.

"So, so what did you do?!"

This was the embarrassing part and Bonnie bit her lip. "I—sort of fought him. The whole time."

Elena gasped again but this time it was followed by a short burst of laughter. "Oh my god, of course you did! Wow, I—"

"I know, I know—it's bad."

"No Bonnie it's—okay." The brunette finally calmed down and her demeanor took on an air of practicality as she spoke. "Maybe 'technically' it is, because of your history with him and all but seriously? This is—" She lowered her voice a bit more and leaning forward, whispered conspiratorially. "This is—_exciting." _

Bonnie let out an exasperated groan. "Ugh…Elena, don't make this into a bigger deal then it is, please?"

"Okay, Honey I'm sorry I just—wow. I'm honestly kind of speechless right now!" She leaned back in her seat as Bonnie gave her mock-withering glare before seating herself on the bench opposite her.

Just then, the waiter came by and asked for their drink orders and while Elena ordered her iced tea, Bonnie felt eyes on her and she chanced a glance up, only to find Kai looking at her from across The Grill. He gave no indication that he intended to approach them but even so, just the way he sat there—so poised yet laid back—with his grey eyes turning stormy as he looked straight at her, made her even more nervous than if he'd walked right up to her and said hello.

Elena's back was towards the bar but she already knew by the self-conscious look on her friend's face and the way her jade green eyes kept flicking to the bar 'inconspicuously.'

"He's staring at you, isn't he?"

Bonnie bit her lip hard to keep from smiling and met Elena's eyes.

The brunette was grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeeeeah, he kinda is."

Their drinks arrived and after a polite thank you to the waiter, Elena let out a giggle as she sipped on her straw. "Aaaand you liiiiiike it, don't you?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes but the tell-tale smile on her lips gave her completely away. "So? You like it when Damon stares at you—with those—'mysterious bedroom eyes."

Elena gaped at Bonnie and then burst out laughing. "Seriously?!"

Bonnie snorted and then dissolved into giggles—not completely unaware of the way Kai's eyes snapped in her direction, when she did so.

"You know it's true."

"Wow! So—you're first reaction to the way 'he's' looking at you, is to compare it to the way Damon looks at me, huh?"

Bonnie deadpanned. "I never said—" But she knew it was too late to back pedal."

"Ah ah, Bonnie Bennett, you walked right into that one." Elena taunted playfully.

"Okay, Okay, I'll give you that."

The two women fell silent when the waiter came back with their orders—burger and fries for Elena and a large side order of chili cheese fries with a Caesar salad for Bonnie.

"So. Since were on the subject. I know that you 'fought him' and everything but—how was it?"

Bonnie choked on a lettuce leaf. "Really? You're not serious are you?"

She almost pleaded.

"Ah ah ah, Bon you know the rules, com'on; bestfriends means FULL disclosure on any and all boy matters."

Bonnie sighed heavily but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes. As she leaned forward and murmured secretively. "Okay. It was hot. Like fiery hot and scary as hell."

"And?"

"And it's _never _happening again." She spoke around a forkful of salad, her tone adamant.

At this, Elena deflated a little. "Okay. This is the part where I tell you that you're in denial and it's _not _gonna make things go away or make them any easier."

"Elena com'on—how many times are you gonna lead with the whole 'when Damon and I'?"

Elena grew serious. "Bonnie I'm just trying to help, okay? I've been where you are. It's not like I'm telling you to just give in and fall into his arms—I'm not! You have a right to distance yourself from him if that's what you feel you need to do. BUT, constantly d_enying _that there's something _there _is not healthy either. Owning up to it doesn't mean you have to give in right away. It just means that you're facing the issue head on and that's what you need to do in order to—"

"—Gain objectivity and have a better perspective, I know."

"See? You _have _been listening to me, good." She winked playfully at Bonnie who only scoffed in response.

"I don't know I just—I feel like if I actually _admit _to it, that then suddenly I'm gonna have—all these feelings surface and I'm not gonna be able to handle it."

"I've never known you to let your heart take control, Bonnie—you've always been the most rational out of the three of us."

Bonnie smiled sadly and then braced herself for what she was about to admit. "Yeah—but the thing is, I don't think my heart—would have a choice when it comes to _him _Elena."

Elena's eyes widened a fraction as she stared at her friend.

Bonnie's green eyes had darkened to that sagely shade, like they always did when she was feeling particularly emotional or struggling with something.

Elena reached across the table and took her hand, squeezing it.

"Whatever you feel for him is strong—isn't it."

Bonnie bit her lip as she felt tears prickling the corners of her eyes and she tilted her head upwards and swallowed hard, trying to collect herself.

"Y-yeah—I'm afraid it is. And that's why I'm afraid of facing it—if I do, I don't know if I'll have a way out; there may be no turning back at that point, Elena and—I don't know if I can handle—_not _being in control, you know?" Her voice quivered slightly but she kept it together and no tears fell.

Elena was pensive for a long moment before she spoke again. "Let me ask you this. Aside from your history with Kai—in the 6months since you've been back, has he ever given you—any reason _not _to trust that he's changed?"

Bonnie thought for a moment, then shook her head no.

"Has he ever made you feel like he has an ulterior motive behind the way he treats you?"

"You mean other than that he desperately wants my forgiveness—and apparently, also wants to sweep me off my feet?...no. Not anything."

Elena smirked a little when Bonnie mentioned Kai 'sweeping her off her feet'—it sounded comical thinking of Kai trying to woo Bonnie of all people.

"Okay. Then I think I can safely assume that—for the most part at least—you trust him."

"Mostly, yeah—as—insane and prehistoric as that sounds. I never thought I'd say that."

"Then here's my advice—just let go a little. Let yourself not worry so much about the 'what ifs' or the past and just try and let things flow naturally with you and Kai. Keep a respective amount of space, if you need to but just—don't try to push away from it so hard. Just try to let things happen. And if you get scared or it's just too much? You know you can always come to me." She finished, squeezing Bonnie's hand again, an affectionate smile gracing her features.

Bonnie was so emotional after Elena's speech that she had to dab a few tears away. But the brunette smiled genuinely at her friend—catching a brief glimpse of smiling grey eyes glancing at her once last time before their owner disappeared out the door.

"Thank you, Elena—really, it means a lot."

Elena beamed at her. "Always, Bon."


	6. Retaliation

The door had been forced open and pieces of shattered glass crackled under his sneakered feet.

This can't be good and right away, a sickening feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

That's when he saw her.

Collapsed on the floor—unconscious—with shards of glass scattered through her hair and a cut across her beautiful cheekbone that already bled.

"Oh god—Bonnie!" He ran to her and fell to his knees, carefully rolling her onto her back and brushing the hair away from her face with shaky hands.

She was breathing but it was labored and there was no response when he tried to rouse her with a gentle shaking.

His heart plummeted and he could feel the onset of a panic attack. "Ah, com'on Bonnie, don't do this to me!" He lifted her off the floor and carefully laid her in his lap, cradling her face in his hand as he continued to brush the hair back from her battered face.

Just then, there was a noise at the door and he turned to find none other than Tyler standing there with eyes wide in shock.

"What—what the hell happened?!"

Now he was furious. "Where the hell have you been?! You were supposed to be here!" He yelled furiously and was only mildly satisfied when Tyler flinched in fear.

"I was at training—me and Matt we're—we're enrolled in officer academy so I—"

"She came here because she thought she'd be safe—you know my father's after her, why the hell would you leave her alone?!"

"God I'm sorry I didn't mean—" He knelt down and reached out a hand towards her but Kai pulled her out of his reach and his face twisted into a menacing snarl that border lined insanity.

"Don't touch her!"

Just then, Bonnie stirred, murmuring incoherently and drawing both boys' attention.

"Bonnie. Bonnie?" Kai called to her softly, smoothing a hand over her cheek as he did so.

Her eyes fluttered open and the moment she saw his worried filled eyes, her face dissolved into misery and strangled sobs wracked her body.

"Oh god, Bon—I'm sorry, I'm so—"

"He took it all." Her broken whimper caught him off guard and pulled back just enough to look into her stricken eyes.

"He—what did he take, Bonnie?"

"M-my—my magic." She cried.

Kai's face went white as a ghost—it couldn't be!

"What—Bonnie…"

She broke down again, her tears soaking into the cotton fabric of his jacket and through to his shirt.

"He—h-h-he t-t-t—took it f-from mmme—Kai! My magic—it's all g-g-gone!"

It was then that Kai sensed it. The overwhelming black emptiness that surrounded Bonnie, shook him to the core. He could feel it now. All of it. There wasn't a single thread of magic left in her—only a deep, hollow emptiness that literally sickened him.

"Oh god—Bonnie." He cradled her face between his hands and did his best to thumb away the tears as they fell.

"What—what happened?" Tyler's voice broke through the deafening atmosphere but Kai never bothered to answer him.

"Oh god—what's going to happen to me?" Bonnie's pathetic cries tore at his heart and he could feel his own tears pushing at the corners of his eyes as he looked into her eyes, stroking her cheeks as he tried to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry—Bonnie, I should've been here, I—"

Her trembling fingers wrapped around his wrist and she looked up into his eyes, pleadingly.

"Please. Please…don't. P-please just—take me away."

He looked down at her, his brows drawn together in sympathetic anguish.

"Okay, okay—I promise." He pulled her closer to his chest, his arms tightening protectively around her as she whimpered and clung to him.

"Please, take me away—take me away." She repeated over and over and Kai only nodded as he slid an arm under her knees and scooped her up in his arms.

Turning towards Tyler, he only spared him a barely-concealed look of hate before muttering, "Pack up everything she has and bring it to Damon's."

Tyler nodded wordlessly and scrambled up the stairs just as Kai stalked out the splintered front door.

# # # #

Knowing endless questions would only make Bonnie's condition more painful, Kai called ahead and informed Damon of the situation.

He could feel the rage rolling off of Damon, through the phone but he refused to answer any more questions and just stated that he was bringing Bonnie home.

Once there, he carried Bonnie inside, passing by a silent and stricken Elena who stood at the door, holding it open for them.

He met Damon's dark look with nothing more than a curt nod as he carried a now-sleeping Bonnie up the stairs and down the hall to his room.

He laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers snuggly around her, before turning and walking out, closing the door behind him.

He was met by a very severe-looking, statuesque Damon who stood in the hallway with arms crossed over his chest and a scowl darkening his brow.

"Keep an eye on her." Was all Kai said before turning and stalking away.

"What are you gonna do?" Damon called after him—though he already had a pretty good idea.

Kai grinned to himself and turned back towards Damon—the expression on his face was beyond-murderous—it was vengeful and his eyes glinted with dark, unbridled rage, causing Damon to actually shiver.

"I'm gonna give him what he wants; he wants to prevent annihilation? That's fine—'cause he's getting _Armageddon _instead." The promise of Death shown in his eyes as turned his back on Damon and marched away—every step he took seemed to echo with dread as he finally reached the door and literally apparated into thin air.

Elena turned to find Damon standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the spot where Kai had just been and her stomach churned in dread.

"What—is he gonna do?"

Damon's eyes never met hers. "If I Know Kai, there's not gonna be a single Gemini witch left alive by morning."

Elena let out a gasp. "Damon, we have to stop him!"

Damon shook his head and came to stand by Elena. "No Elena. If we try and get in his way, we die. Trust me. There's nothing we can do."

"This isn't him anymore, Damon—this murderous merciless person—that's not who Kai wants to be, he has a choice!"

"The minute they went after Bonnie, was the minute he no longer had one, Elena."

She wanted to protest but deep down, she knew Damon was right. She took his hand, her brown eyes drifting to the empty doorway where 'he' had been.

Going after Bonnie—they'd gone too far.

# # # #

It was passed midnight when he returned and Damon was at the door waiting for him.

His face was smudged with dirt and smoke—his jacket was singed around the edges and the left shoulder of his shirt had blood spattered all over it—not to mention his hands were also drenched in red.

Damon swallowed back the bile in his throat; he'd seen plenty of gruesome blood-shed in his day but somehow—this was different.

"Yeah, sorry about the mess, but don't worry it's not mine." Kai assured, letting a little mirthful laughter seep into his voice as he held up a hand, inspecting it. "I think there might be a little brain matter there too—whoops!" He laughed maniacally to himself, just as Elena walked in.

She froze and cupped her hands over her mouth. "Oh my god, Kai!"

Damon turned to look at her. "Elena, maybe you shouldn't be here…"

"What did you do?!"

Kai waved a dismissive hand as a pleasant smile graced his features. "Oh don't worry, it's not mine—just got a little messy, that's all! Sink?" When he noticed how Elena's eyes widened in horror, he attempted to placate her. "Don't worry, I'll use a ton of coke and dish soap—it always does the trick."

"Kai…"

He walked past her on his way to the bathroom, just as Damon re-emerged with the liter of coke and bottle of dish soap. He tossed them wordlessly to Kai who caught both mid-air just as he closed the bathroom door behind him.

"Damon—what did he do."

"Look, I know this is hard for you but—whatever it is that he did, it was to protect Bonnie. So let's just—try to focus on that, okay?"

Elena shook her head, not at all convinced. "That doesn't make it right—and _you _are making excuses for him."

She walked away from him and Damon gaped at her.

"Are you serious?! Do you know how many times we've all let _Bonnie _murder herself to save you, or me or Stefan or Matt?! _That _was unforgiveable, Elena. But now, when someone's actually trying to protect _her _for once, you're getting all pissed off and calling it inexcusable?!"

"That's not the point, Damon!"

"Isn't it?!" He shot back.

"You know your voices are kinda carrying—even through the door."

Both whirled around to see Kai drying his hands on a towel and then slinging it over his shoulder.

Elena stiffened apprehensively, looking between him and Damon.

Kai cracked a smile just then. "You know, in case you're wondering—which I know you are since I totally heard you guys fighting, through the door, I didn't go on a killing spree. The foundation of the Gemini coven still exists, untouched—I just did a bit of in-house cleaning. Had to make sure any—former dictatorships were no longer attempting to usurp my rightful place." A pointed boyish smirk played across his lips and that's when Damon and Elena knew he referred to the former Patriarch of the Gemini coven.

"So I take Papa Gemini is no longer a problem?" Damon ventured.

Kai snorted humorously. "Well, not unless the man's discovered a way to survive with his scull split in two and his 'intellect' decorating the pavement."

"Oh…god." Elena felt nauseous.

"To be honest, I really didn't care for the mess but—he kind of gave me no choice since he was wearing this." He held up long gold chain with a large, teardrop-shaped turquoise stone pendant dangling from it, set in solid gold and overlaid with matching gold filigree in the shape of the Gemini symbol.

"What…is that?" Elena asked cautiously stepping closer to inspect the necklace.

"This is something I've been looking for, for most of my life."

"What do you need it for?" Damon asked.

"_I _don't. Bonnie does." And with that, he strode passed the two and leapt up the stairs, two at a time on his way to Bonnie.

"He's…very cryptic." Elena observed, jutting a thumb over her shoulder in the direction Kai had just gone.

Damon nodded. "Yeeeah, that's mild compared to what Bonnie and I have seen. Trust me." With that, he slung an arm over her shoulders and the couple ambled into the sitting room.

# # # #

Figuring Bonnie was still asleep, Kai reached the door and quietly let himself in. Yeah, it was his room but she'd been through enough already and he didn't want to wake her as he carefully crept up beside the bed and peered down at her.

She was curled up under the blankets with her knees pulled to her chest and over half of her face concealed by the fan sleek dark hair.

Going against his better judgment, he seated himself on the bed beside her and gently brushed back the strands of hair from her face.

She looked so vulnerable and fragile just lying there—curled up so tight, as if she was expecting to be attacked in her sleep…he didn't like it.

Leaning over just slightly, he carefully placed the necklace on the nightstand by her head, then stood up to leave.

Tiny fingers caught his wrist and held him firmly and his head snapped around to see glistening emerald green eyes staring straight at him.

"Bonnie…?" He whispered hesitantly.

She didn't move or make a sound.

"I'm—sorry I didn't mean to wake you, I was just coming by to check on you and to—"

Suddenly, she was shifting over in the bed and tugging hard on his hand at the same time.

Her silent action left him bewildered and he squinted his eyes at her speculatively.

"Uh, Bon what are you—"

Then another firm tug and he was thrown a bit off balance as he fell forward onto the bed on his hands and knees.

Bonnie's eyes still pierced his own as she tugged him down under the covers and then snuggled into his body—shocking the literal hell out of him.

For several long moments, Kai just laid there in shock; his whole body rigid and his arms frozen at his sides.

The last time they'd been this close, he'd been the one to initiate it and Bonnie had fought him tooth and nail!

…Not to mention she'd told him in no uncertain terms, _never _to touch her again.

So what in bloody hell was going on?!

Just then, he felt Bonnie's lithe body press more firmly against his and her slender arms snaked their way around his torso as she hugged him to herself.

Fuck! This was not good. His body was getting all hot and tingly, _definitely not good! _

He had to breathe.

God, breathe.

Breathe, man—just breathe and stay cool!

"H-hey, Bonnie—" He began softly.

"Look, I know—I know you told me—never to touch you again—but—"

"Shut up." Her voice came out in a warm, heavy sigh—almost annoyed, but not quite. It was too hard to gauge exactly what her mood might be when all he could think about was her hot breath on his neck when she spoke and the way it caused goosebumps to pebble down the entire left side of his body.

"I know what I said." She continued—her voice still muffled in the crook of his neck and shoulder.

"Just—shut up." She repeated. This time, definitely sounding annoyed.

This caused Kai to relax a bit and a knowing smirk broke out across his features as he slowly slipped his arms around her, pulling her closer.

The brunette was obviously happy with this arrangement because her body snuggled into him more and she let out a contented breath.

They laid there for several minutes, not speaking and just enjoying each other's warmth, until finally, Kai spoke—his voice was still soft against her ear. "How you feeling?"

A beat. Then a very light shrug of her shoulders.

"Listen—I have something that belongs to you."

This seemed to rouse her a bit and she pulled back just enough to look up into his eyes.

"Actually, it's um—something that I found." He cleared his throat awkwardly, inwardly cursing himself for being so nervous.

"What?"

"Give me your hand?"

She eyed him carefully but relented, putting her hand in his.

There was jolt of electricity and then a wave of powerful energy suddenly coursing through her, nearly taking her breath away.

It didn't feel pleasant but it wasn't altogether painful either as it coursed through every fiber of skin, bone and vein until at last, it came to stop at the core of her being where it settled, ebbed for a bit and then faded.

The overall sensation was gone but she could still feel it's presence as it hummed at the tips of her fingers and toes.

Her eyes widened in recognition, then snapped up to Kai's face.

"My—magic, where did you—"

"Just wait, that's not all I have—here." Rolling onto his back, he reached over to the nightstand and plucked up the necklace. Then facing Bonnie again, he held it up for her to see.

"This is something that's been in the Gemini coven for centuries. It's a powerful pendant, infused with the most powerful binding and sealing spell."

"I don't understand—sealing?"

"Basically, it ensures that the powers of the wearer, are kept safely locked away inside them and completely inaccessible to any other witch, no matter how powerful."

Bonnie glanced down at the pendant then back up as Kai unfastened the clasp and motioned for her to turn around.

She twisted her torso so her back was facing him and held her breath as he carefully draped the necklace over her head and around her neck. His fingers lightly grazed the tops of her shoulders as he brought the two ends of the chain together and refastened the clasp.

"As long as you wear this—no one can use your powers against you—and your magic can't ever be siphoned away again."

He uttered the last part with a kind of finality that made her shiver.

Kai cleared his throat again, feeling self-conscious at her sudden silence. "Yeah. So um just don't take it off and you—"

His words were cut off when Bonnie was suddenly launching herself at him and flinging her arms around his neck.

That would mark the _second time _Kai was left speechless and in utter shock.

"Thank you." Her voice trembled slightly as she said this, leaving Kai to wonder if she was crying again and why.

"_Please _tell me you're not crying again?" He pleaded but his voice was laced with worry and Bonnie smiled in spite of herself.

"Shut up!" She groused, not caring that her sniffles could be heard.

Kai shook his head and wrapped his arms around her. "Woman, you're killing me here—Ow!"

A sharp pinch to his hip caused him to yelp and he pulled back, staring down at Bonnie incredulously. "Did you just—?"

"I told you to 'shut it' Parker."

He eyed her closely then and at length, shook his head as he pulled her back into his arms. "So _violent!" _

Bonnie snorted and hugged him back tighter as she tilted her head up and gave him a warning glare from under her lashes. "Shut. It. _Malakai." _

"Ohooo—I'm positively _shaking." _He taunted playfully, shooting her a leering look which only earned him a stiff back-handing smack to the chest.


	7. Choices

"So he didn't tell you where he got it, then."

"No. But I didn't ask either, so…"

Elena let out an uncomfortable breath before pulling the hair back away from her face.

"O—kay what was that?"

"What was what?"

Bonnie stared at her suspiciously. "That sound. You always make that sound when you know something bad that you're not supposed to talk about."

Elena shrugged but didn't answer any further.

They were halfway up the road leading back to the mansion when Bonnie suddenly stopped.

"Elena. What's going on? Where exactly did Kai get this necklace?"

She clutched the turquoise stone pendant between her fingers and observed Elena's face carefully, gauging her reaction.

Elena walked back to her and looked her straight in the eyes. "Look Bonnie, this time I can't talk to you about this. This is something you need to ask Kai about—it's between you and him and as much as I—hate to admit it, it's not my business." She acquiesced with a tight smile.

Bonnie gave a fleeting look at the pendant again, then looked off in the distant, gnawing on her bottom lip pensively.

"Okay. Fine. I guess I'll let you off this one." A light smile touched her bow-shaped lips as the two women resumed their walk back to the mansion.

# # # #

While Elena and Damon sat in the living room catching up on each other's day, Bonnie wandered into the kitchen where Kai was presently making dinner.

Ever since her near-death incident, he'd formed the habit of cooking dinner every night and it wasn't long before Damon figured out that cooking had become Kai's coping mechanism; almost losing Bonnie had just about scared the hell out of him and then some.

Bonnie pushed the swinging door open and for a brief moment, she just stood there, quietly staring at his back.

It was strange seeing Kai jacketless—tonight, all he had on were dark wash, stressed jeans and a plain grey fitted T-shirt.

And was he barefoot?!

Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise and then a playful smirk broke out across her face.

Barefoot Kai? Now that was kind of sexy.

"Liking what you see there, Bon bon?"

She startled but scowled when Kai tossed a very arrogant smirk over his shoulder.

"Seriously? How do you make it through doorways with that ego?"

"Effortlessly! I just turn sideways." He responded, not missing a beat as a boyish smirk replaced its arrogant counterpart.

Bonnie scoffed. "And there it is. The snarky comeback."

She pushed off the wall lightly and walked up beside him, eyeing the mouth-watering unknown substance simmering in the saucepan by his elbow.

"What's this?"

"That is the creamy tomato basil sauce that's going with the pasta." He responded easily, turning his attention to the pasta boiling in the larger pot on the back burner. Lifting the lid, he tested a noodle or two and nodded his head in satisfaction before replacing the lid and turning the burner off.

"Is there—anything you _can't _make?"

Kai thought for a moment. "Oatmeal?"

Bonnie stared at him. "You're kidding me. Of all the things and you can't make oatmeal?! That doesn't make any sense! You just put the oats in a bowl, add water and stick it in the microwave for a minute!"

"I know it's crazy but I've tried so many times and I just can't get it right. It always comes out too sticky and dry."

"Do you put it in for a minute?"

"Yes."

"Just enough water to cover the oats?"

"Always."

"Well you're doing something wrong because I've never heard of anyone who can mess up a bowl of freakin oatmeal in the microwave."

"Well! Now you have." He hip checked her playfully and reached into the drawer to pull out the hot pads.

Bonnie shook her head in disbelief; how does someone mess up microwave oatmeal?

With her back to the counter she leaned against it, her arms casually folded across her chest.

"So. How's it looking?"

Kai flipped off the remaining burner, lifted the lid and lightly stirred the sauce, taking a few whiffs of it.

A triumphant smile spread across his face and Bonnie had to roll her eyes, though unable to hide a smile of her own.

"Oh Ms. Bennett, you are about to experience the most incredible foodgasm of your life."

Bonnie reared back from him. "E-excuse me?!" She sputtered.

"What? Foodgasm. You know like—do you ever leave your house?"

"Oh. _Foodgasm. _Right. Yes."

Kai eyed her skeptically. "What did you think I'd said?"

Bonnie pulled her lips together in a tight line and avoided his eyes. "Not 'foodgasm'."

It hit him and Kai couldn't help but snort humorously. "Wow. I don't know how you got—_that _out of 'foodgasm.'"

"Shut it, Malakai."

She was still avoiding his gaze but he could tell she was blushing furiously. The embarrassment was dripping from her voice as he set the hot pads aside and came to stand in front of her.

"You know, most times when people used my full name? It was because I was in trouble or they were pissed as hell. But when _you _say it, for some crazy reason, I don't get that same feeling of—dread; it just sounds like you're trying to flirt with me."

Bonnie gasped. God, this guy came up with the most bizarre assumptions.

"O—kay well I don't know where _you _got _that _from—"

"Maybe it's the way you say it." His voice came out a bit softer this time and Bonnie felt that all-too-familiar feeling of excitement and panic wash over her.

"I don't—say it in any particular way."

"You do. You don't think you do but—you do."

"Hmm." Was all she said as she looked away and fixed her eyes on the stove.

Kai couldn't help but notice how her body language changed. Her one arm wrapped around her waist in a protective manner while her free hand fidgeted nervously with the pendant dangling around her neck.

His eyes zoned in on the anxious movement. "Does it help?"

It was the first time she met his eyes. "What?"

He nodded towards the necklace. "The pendant. Does it help? Do you feel safer with it?"

Bonnie's eyes softened and she couldn't help but feel warm inside at the thought that he was still worried about her.

"Yeah—I do, thank you."

Kai nodded but said nothing else.

"Actually I've been wanting to ask you—where did you get this from?"

Suddenly, his eyes darkened a shade and he looked away. After a moment, he met her eyes again. "It was my mother's."

Bonnie's breath hitched and she stared at him wide-eyed.

"And ever since she died, I've been looking for it for most of my life."

"How—how did you find it?"

He hesitated, knowing this was the part Bonnie was definitely not going to like.

"Daddy dearest had it. Turns out he's—had it all the time. Most likely stole it right off of her dead body after he killed her. It definitely wasn't on her when we burned her."

Bonnie swallowed hard, looked down at the floor and then back up again. "So—how did you find out he had it?"

Kai looked straight into her eyes then. "I found out the night after you were hurt."

"You went out looking for him."

A Beat.

"Yes."

"I don't understand—I mean I guess I'm trying to figure out how you got it if he had it. I'm guessing he didn't just give it to you willingly, did he?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is I got it back and it's yours now."

He made to turn back to the stove but Bonnie's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Kai—it matters to me. How did you get it back?"

Kai's jaw clenched and this time it was him who refused to meet her eyes. "Bonnie, don't. Don't go asking questions you don't want to know the answers to."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He turned on her and his expression was hard. "Exactly what it means. Don't. Ask questions. You don't want. To know. The answers to."

"Seriously? You're gonna do this now?" Bonnie was frustrated with his secrecy and his persistence to avoid her was getting irritating.

"Look, I'm just doing what's best okay? Just drop it."

"No!" She shouted.

Kai stared at her in surprise.

"No. Because the last time I 'dropped it'? You were gone for three fucking days and you almost didn't come back. So no, Kai I'm not 'dropping it'."

Kai rubbed a hand down the front of his face and groaned. "God, Bonnie we've been over this, just stop."

"Fine. I'll stop when you tell me what the hell happened that night and how you got this!"

Kai let out a heavy sigh and turned around again to face her.

She stood firm with arms folded across her chest and her plucky lips set in a determined frown.

Honestly, he would've smiled at how adorable she looked if it weren't for the fact that in the next five minutes, she would very likely go back to hating him once she knew what he had done.

"Fine. You're not gonna let this go so—fine. He was wearing it when I found him. I put two and two together and I knew there was no way in hell I'd be able to get your magic back or siphon his while he had it. So I fake surrendered, made him believe he had me and then at the last minute, I got the upper hand and split his skull in two. Needless to say, I didn't have to bother with the whole siphoning aspect of my plan; killing a witch automatically frees any magic they may have obtained dishonestly."

Bonnie was quiet during his entire explanation and when it ended, she still kept perfectly still and didn't utter a word.

After about ten seconds—which felt like an eternity—Kai let out a breath and threw his hands up in surrender. "There. Now you know. Now you've got a legit reason to hate me again so congratulations, you don't have to waste any more time pretending."

He turned away from her, unable to bear the look of renewed hate and judgement that doubtlessly blazed in her eyes.

But instead, he was caught completely by surprise.

Bonnie grabbed his wrist and stopped him before he could walk away and as calmly as he'd ever seen her, she walked around from behind and came to stand right in front of him—her fingers slipping down to entwine with his.

For what seemed like ages, she just stood there, quietly looking up into his eyes and for some unexplainable reason, the look she gave him had him holding his breath.

"I don't hate you. And I'm not pretending." She said this so softly, he almost had to strain in order to catch it.

"I may not always like you—and I definitely don't always agree with the things you do. But—I don't hate you. I did once…but not anymore."

Kai was frozen in place and he could only stare back at her, mutely—his head spinning in confusion and elation at her words.

Then, her hand slipped from his and came to rest on his chest as she spoke. "I know you did what you had to do. Your dad was evil and he would've killed me and anyone else who got in his way."

She noticed how Kai's entire body went rigid at the mention of his father killing her and a small smile broke across her lips.

"It's okay. What you did, had to be done and I understand that. So don't worry." She ended her little speech with a brief understanding smile before her hand slipped from his chest and she turned to walk away.

But Kai was shaken out of his stupor the moment she touched him and his whole body ignited.

He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back towards him.

"Oh no you don't!" He uttered in a husky breath right before pulling her into his arms and crushing his lips against hers.

Bonnie barely felt his strong hand wrapping around her arm, before she was being roughly pulled back to him and she didn't have the chance to breathe before his mouth was on hers, attacking her lips aggressively.

_What—in heaven's name?! _

It happened so fast! One minute she was telling him that what happened with his father was okay and the next, he was trapping her in the most deliciously painful embrace and devouring her hungrily with his mouth.

This wasn't at all what she had expected and her head and her heart were once again at war with each other. Was this right? Could she really afford to let him get this close to her? What about everything that had happened before? It was the past but that didn't mean the hurt and pain just went away—Kai had put her through so much and even though he'd apologized, they still had yet to sit down and have a candid conversation about it.

Not to mention that she'd delivered a few of her own blows and stabbed him in the back—literally.

Maybe he'd deserved it then. More than deserved it but that didn't make it right with the way things were now…

It all came rushing in and once again, she felt herself shying away from all the overwhelming feelings of passion and she fought him.

Kai felt her body instantly tense and he knew, her head was getting in the way again.

Damn it, this woman was the most infuriating, stubborn, rational person he'd ever met in his entire life! And considering the woman his mother was, that was saying a whole lot.

Well this time, he wasn't gonna let her off so easy—he could fight back just as hard as she could.

With his arms still wrapped around her waist, he backed Bonnie into a corner and then pulled out of the kiss to look in her eyes.

"Stop fighting me." He ordered, breathing heavily as he pinned her with a determined stare.

"Stop—kissing me—I t-told you—not to."

"You told me to stop _touching _you."

Bonnie squirmed in his arms but he held her fast. "It's the same thing."

"Well I might—if you'd stop fighting me." He reiterated, pressing his body against hers for good measure.

Bonnie let out a frustrated moan, wriggling in his arms again.

"_That _didn't sound like—a protest—Bonnie."

She looked up into his eyes—they were _blazing. _

"Shut up and let me go."

"No." And with that, he landed another firm kiss to her parted lips, letting his tongue lightly flick out and drag across her bottom lip.

This caused Bonnie to hiss and she shook her head. "Kai, I'm serious. Stop it."

"Why? Do you hate it?" He asked seriously but his eyes never lost their passionate fire as he stared her down.

Bonnie's gaze faltered slightly but then she looked back defiantly and answered, "Yes."

Kai's jaw ticked and his stormy eyes bored into hers, narrowing slightly. "Liar." He shot back before gripping her chin roughly in one hand and pulling her mouth to meet his.

Bonnie tried to pull away but his grip on her chin only tightened and she knew she was losing the fight.

Just before his lips touched hers, he paused and looked deep into her eyes.

"I told you—I wasn't going to let you get away again." His breath ghosted across her parted lips and she gasped at the sensation—she could practically _taste _him.

"Kai…"

His grey eyes flickered to hers one last time before his mouth spread into a devilish smirk as he claimed her lips again.

This time, Bonnie fought back half-heartedly.

She hated to admit it but this man's kiss was criminal and his fiery touch was so consuming—she was addicted to it.

She couldn't keep running like this; Elena was right.

Denial was only making things worse and in truth, it made it that much harder for her to keep resisting Kai even when a part of her so desperately wanted to.

She wasn't sure how much longer that part of her could hold out.

Every time she was near him, she could feel herself slowly giving in—the walls she'd so carefully constructed were gradually crumbling and being in his arms like this—those walls were _crashing _down with a vengeance.

She felt one of Kai's hands move to the small of her back where his fingers slipped beneath the fabric and danced across her bare skin.

Oh good Lord in heaven, he'd found the chink in her armor—that was her breaking point.

A shock of electricity went right through her and her whole body quivered as his fingers continued caressing the small of her back, moving over to settle on the sensitive dip in her hip.

Bonnie couldn't fight it anymore and a drawn out moan broke from her lips.

"Oh—damn you." Her voice quivered against his lips, causing Kai to smirk triumphantly and tighten his arms around her even more.

"See? I knew—you liked me." He uttered hurriedly between kisses.

"Shut—up." She groaned back, eliciting an amused snort from him as his arms tightened around her, crushing her body to him.

"Kai, we—"

"Shh."

"K-Kai we—need t-to talk."

Kai pulled out of the kiss just briefly and gave her an exasperated glare. "Don't—talk when I'm—trying to sweep you of your feet, Bon."

At this admission, Bonnie just couldn't help herself and she let out a laugh. "Did you just say 'sweep me off my feet'?"

"Yessss, yes, I did now shut up and let me kiss you."

And before she could get a word in, he was swooping in and capturing her lips again, leaving her with wobbly legs and gasping for air.

After a few blissful indulgent moments, Bonnie reluctantly pulled out of the kiss. "Listen—we really need to talk but—not now; we still have dinner to finish and—"

"You're right." Kai sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.

"Hey—don't worry, this isn't—this isn't me 'running away' again."

At this, he let out a chuckle and met her eyes with a boyish smirk sparkling in his own.

"Oh I know; it would be pointless even if it was."

She rolled her eyes but a smile broke out across her face. "Yeah well anyways—we've got dinner to finish. So….."

Kai looked deeply into her eyes and wordlessly brushed the backs of his fingers down the length of her cheek.

"Your eyes are incredible, you know that?"

She stared at him incredulously. "My eyes?"

He nodded, smiling hesitantly. "Yeah. Actually that was the first thing that struck me when I first saw you."

Bonnie bit her lip, glancing down at the floor and then back up.

Kai's eyes turned a little stormy as he gazed down at her intensely.

"Hey." He tilted her chin up so she would look in his eyes.

"We'll talk. I promise."

She caught anxiety flash in his eyes for a split second but his voice was gentle as he spoke to her.

"Thank you." She smiled gratefully and he nodded once before planting a chaste kiss on her forehead. The two were putting the final touches on dinner just before Damon poked his head in with an expectant look and an irritated scowl creasing his brow.

"Okay, what the hell are you two doing? Food should've been done by now!"

Bonnie rolled her eyes and let out a snort. "Okay calm down, Killer—dinner's ready."

"God, finally! Elena!"

Bonnie and Kai shared a private look between them—each wrapped up in the same thought:

_If they only knew…_


End file.
